Debate on subsidies for new nuclear

07 February 2013

On Thursday 7 February, MPs debated a motion relating to subsidies for new nuclear. Martin Horwood, Caroline Lucas, and Mike Weatherley had appeared before the Backbench Business Committee to request this debate

Watch the debate and read a transcript

Watch the debate on Parliament TV and read the views expressed by MPs in Commons Hansard.

Text of motion

Text of motion moved by Martin Horwood:

"That this House notes that both the Coalition Agreement and numerous ministerial statements have committed the Government to provide no public subsidy to new nuclear; further notes that negotiations are currently ongoing between the Department of Energy and Climate Change and new nuclear suppliers to fix the strike price in advance of the legislation on energy market reform; is concerned by wider issues of subsidy and transparency and in particular that this process pre-empts the legislation; is further concerned that new evidence suggests that this constitutes an unjustifiable subsidy to a mature industry; and therefore calls on the Government to pause the process so that the Public Accounts Committee can examine whether the contract for difference being offered for new nuclear power generation offers genuine value for money."

At the end of the debate, the motion was withdrawn.

How the subject was selected

The subject for this debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee following representations by Martin Horwood, Caroline Lucas, and Mike Weatherley on 22 January 2013.